Cat Connections
by AyumaKasaga
Summary: Rin and Makoto are neighbors. They both happen to have cats, who have not been fixed. When Makoto's cat impregnates Rin's cat, Makoto offers to help with the kittens. Somewhere along the way, the two develop feelings for each other... college au. makorin.
1. Prologue

The yowling was unbearable.

Day and night. All that would come out of that goddamn cat's mouth was loud, annoying, horrible, terrible _yowls,_ and Rin was about ready to choke the damn thing until it would stop fucking _yowling._

"_Please_," he groaned, looking over to the little black cat, "Please please _please_, for the love of _Christ_, will you _shut the fuck up?"_

Ichigo looked up at him, then rolled onto her back and let out another loud yowl. Rin groaned and slammed his head on his desk.

He knew he needed to get Ichigo spayed, he should have done it a while ago, really, but money had been tight and he just couldn't afford to do it. He figured if he could just make it through midterms, and then when he got home for spring break, he could ask his parents for the money to get her fixed.

The one thing he forgot, however, was that cats eventually go into heat.

And that when cats go into heat, they are annoying.

And they will yowl when you're trying to study.

"Goddamn it, Ichigo," he muttered, standing up. He stomped over to where Ichigo was rubbing herself amorously against the door to the balcony. He picked her up, sputtering when she began rubbing her head against his chin and purring. "You're going into the bathroom since you can't behave."

He set her down on the ground, and she wound herself between his legs. "No, in the bathroom. I can't study when you're being a loud mouth." He nudged her in, closing the door behind him.

"Finally," he huffed, settling back down to his work, "Now to get some work done."

It was only two minutes after he began working again that Ichigo began to scratch at the door, yowling pathetically to be let out.

-xxx-

_Thap thap thap._

"What are you doing, Kabocha?" Makoto scolded, nudging the cat with his toes. "Leave that poor bird alone." The little white cat with brown spots looked up at him, mewling lightly. He glanced outside to the bird hopping along the balcony railing. It flew away, and he looked across to the apartment complex next door to see a red-haired young man picking up a little black cat and walking into the unseen depths of his apartment. "Or were you batting at that little cat across the way?"

Kabocha meowed again, rubbing against Makoto's legs. He grinned, kneeling down to pet him.

"Either way, you need to stop that. I'm trying to study."

Makoto stood, wandering back into his bedroom, sitting down at his desk to begin reading over his textbooks for class.

He glanced back out to the living room, where Kabocha had settled in front of the door to the balcony, watching the birds outside with keen interest and twitching ears. Makoto smiled fondly at the kitten, chuckling as he batted at the window again.

_Thap thap thap._

He went back to work, highlighting important points and jotting down notes in the margin and into his notebook. After a while of working, he suddenly smelled something..._off._

He looked over to Kabocha, who had proudly sprayed all over the door to the balcony.

"Kabocha!" he cried, dashing over to the door, now covered in cat pee. "Ugh, Kabocha, _whyyyy_?"

The kitten let out a meow and wandered to the kitchen to eat.

Makoto groaned in exasperation, following the kitten to grab some cleaning supplies.

"I should have known," he muttered, "It _is_ spring. And you're not neutered."

While Kabocha ate, Makoto wiped down his window, muttering curses to himself. Yeah, he probably should have gotten his kitten neutered a while ago, but he couldn't afford it right now. Plus midterms were right around the corner. He had been saving up, and during spring break when he was working, he could collect enough money to get Kabocha fixed and he'd never have to deal with this again.

-xxx-

The next morning, Rin stumbled out into the living room, muffling his yawn behind his hand.

"Ichigo, breakfast," he called, looking around for the little black kitten. "Ichigo?"

The cat in question let out a meow, squeezing her way into the living room through the slightly cracked balcony door. She trotted over to Rin, rubbing against his legs affectionately. Rin stared down at her.

"...Are you _fucking_ _kidding me_?"

* * *

HELLO ANOTHER MULTI-CHAPTER FIC YES HELLO

It's MAKORIN! Why? I'm not sure. When I thought of the plot, I thought it would suit the two of them best. Plus I had been looking at fanart of them and was like "aww baww aww cute why so cute whyyyy"

SO! I really need your guy's support for this one! There are still a few kinks I need to work out plot wise, but other than that, feel free to be as critical as you'd like! Since I've been out of the writing game for a while, I feel as if I'm still a bit rusty.

So PLEEEEASE let me know what you think!

Also, Ichigo means strawberry in Japanese, and Kabocha means pumpkin. WHY DID I NAME THE CATS STRAWBERRY AND PUMPKIN? If I knew, I would tell you. (Part of me feels I named Rin's black cat Ichigo because I was subconsciously thinking about Tokyo Mew Mew. HURR DURR.)

Please review! I'd really appreciate it (:


	2. Chapter 1

"You little shit," Rin growled, picking up Ichigo by the scruff of her neck, "How the fuck did you get outside?! _Did you do what I think you did_?"

Ichigo simply stared at Rin, yellow eyes unblinking. Rin scoffed, setting her back down on the ground.

"God damn it, you fucking bitch," he muttered, grabbing the bag of dry food from off the top of the refrigerator. "I can't even afford to get you spayed, how the fuck am I gonna afford you getting pregnant?" The cat meowed again, rubbing herself against his legs.

"Whatever, I can't worry about it right now," Rin placed the cat food into her bowl, then tucked a couple pieces of toast in the toaster for himself, "I have a quiz today and I just can't give a shit about your dumb ass and if it's pregnant or not."

He walked into the bedroom to grab his backpack and to change from his pajamas, pulling out his notes to study while he ate breakfast.

-xxx-

Makoto was woken up early in the morning by what sounded like a small baby screaming at the top of his lungs coming from the alleyway.

Makoto groaned, rubbing his eyes and pulling himself from bed to walk over to the balcony to investigate. When he opened the door, Kabocha squeezed his way through the gate and trotted inside the apartment.

"Oh, Kabocha," Makoto yawned, "Was that you out there?...And how did you get out there in the first place?"

The kitten sneezed and then proceeded to start grooming himself. Makoto looked outside again, noticing the little black cat from the other day squeezing its way into the apartment across from his. He stared for a couple minutes, then looked back at his own cat.

Then at the apartment across from his.

Then back at Kabocha, who meowed in annoyance since it was breakfast time.

"...Kabocha, don't tell me that you...and that cat...You didn't..." Kabocha meowed again, batting at his pant leg. Makoto groaned, "You did, didn't you? Ugh, _Kabocha_." he rubbed his eyes tiredly, trudging into the kitchen to feed him.

Makoto didn't really know the boy in the apartment across from him, but he had seen him a couple times on campus, so he knew that the boy was around his age, and was probably in the same predicament as he was: an unfixed cat. He could feel the guilt that he probably shouldn't be feeling crawling up his spine.

Growing up with cats, he knew that dealing with a pregnant cat was...tricky. And it required a lot of materials, a vet, or at least someone skilled in cat birthing processes. What if one of the kittens was born and it wasn't breathing? Would the boy know what to do? Makoto knew what to do.

He groaned again; he was going to go over there and offer him help with the kittens, wasn't he?

-xxx-

Rin had finished his toast and was idly stroking Ichigo while he went over his notes, when there was a knock on the door.

He huffed, finishing off his coffee and walking to the door, answering it.

"Um, hello," the boy greeted, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Tachibana Makoto. I live in the apartment across from you?"

"Ah, yeah, I've seen you around," Rin replied, holding out his hand, "I'm Matsuoka Rin."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Makoto shook his hand, giving him a pleasant smile. "Um, well, the reason I'm here is because-" he was cut off by a little mewl, and he looked down to see Ichigo rubbing at Rin's legs and sniffing curiously at Makoto. "-Because of her, actually."

"You mean Ichigo? Ah, I'm sorry if she's been disturbing you with her yowling. Stupid thing snuck out of here last night and probably got knocked up." Rin sighed, picking her up and scratching behind her ears.

"Ah, no, that's not it. Um, well, I have a cat too, and he's a boy, and uh," Makoto rubbed his elbow, "He's also not, um. Fixed." Rin gave Makoto an unimpressed look.

"Uh, okay? I mean, if you think your cat got Ichigo pregnant, then that's fine," Rin sighed, Ichigo climbing to perch on his shoulders, "There's really nothing we can do about it now."

"Uh, well, see, I wanted to offer my help," Makoto blurted nervously, "I-I grew up with cats, you see. So, uh, if Ichigo here is pregnant, I could help out. Since it was my cat that probably knocked her up." Rin scratched the back of his head.

"Umm, alright? Thanks, I guess."

"It's nothing, really. Um. I just figured I could help you out, since it seems like we're both in the same predicament. And since I feel partially responsible for this whole mess." Makoto gave Rin a gentle smile, and Rin flushed lightly.

"Well, that's nice of you." he mumbled, then his phone went off in his pocket. "Ah, I gotta get going to class. Uh, I guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah. See you later, Rin-san!" Makoto waved, turning to begin the trek back to his apartment.

"Drop the -san," and with that, Rin closed his door to prepare himself for class.

"Hm, sounds like someone I know." Makoto chuckled, heading home.

* * *

hEYYA IT'S THE NEXT CHAPTER HOOORAYARAYAYYYY

I'm glad to see people enjoying this so far! I had this chapter already written, but I wanted to see how people would like it, so I held off on posting it.

...Also I just started watching Fullmetal Alchemist soooOOOOO I GOT A LITTLE DISTRACTED.

The next chapter is in the works, and it's a bit longer than the first two, just because it's a chance to introduce other characters. :D

But yeah, I hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	3. Chapter 2

"Kabocha, sit still."

"Haru, Kabocha is a _cat_. I'm ninety five percent sure he's not gonna listen to you." Makoto sighed as Kabocha jumped onto the couch and laid across Makoto's chest.

"Keep him there," Haru demanded, holding up his camera to take more pictures of the cat, who was now kneading at Makoto's chest to get comfy and possibly nap. Makoto smiled fondly at Kabocha, stroking his fur and giggling when Kabocha licked his fingers affectionately. Haru shot a few more pictures before sitting down on the ground next to the couch to skim through them.

"So what exactly is your project this week?" Makoto asked, playing with the corner of his book.

"Someone close to us," Haru replied, holding up his camera to take another picture of Makoto.

"So you're taking pictures of Kabocha?" Makoto asked, mildly offended. Haru gave him an unimpressed look.

"I took pictures of you, too," he retorted, "I've known you since we were kids. I've known Kabocha since he was a baby. You're both close to me." Makoto smiled at the other, flushing lightly. "So, Kabocha knocked someone up, huh?"

"Yeah. The boy in the apartment across from here. His name is Matsuoka Rin." Haru stared at Makoto for a moment, then nodded.

"Ah, so he's cute then."

"H-Haru!"

There was a knock at the door.

"Mako-chan, Haru-chan! I brought cake!" the voice from behind the door called cheerily, "And my math homework so Mako-chan can help me!"

"I'll get it," Haru offered, "But we're not done here." He stood up and wandered over to the door, opening it to let in the shorter blond boy. "Nagisa."

"Hey, Haru-chan!" Nagisa greeted, trotting into the living room after taking off his shoes. "Hey, Mako-chan! Hello, Kabocha!" Nagisa scratched behind the kitten's ears, setting the cake box on the coffee table and making himself comfortable on the floor. "Mako-chan, help me study for my midterm!"

"You know, Nagisa, if you've been having trouble, you should think about getting a tutor," Makoto suggested, moving Kabocha to his lap. "There's a kid in my math class who's around your age who offers tutoring." Nagisa smirked at him.

"Is he cute?" the blond cooed, and began laughing when Makoto nearly choked on his own spit. Haru rolled his eyes, setting three plates, three forks, and a knife to cut the small strawberry shortcake Nagisa had brought over for them to eat. "I'm kidding, Mako-chan, I'm kidding! But I'll consider it. What's his name?"

"Ryugazaki Rei. He's gotten all the top scores in the class." Makoto replied, cutting everyone a slice of cake.

"I know him," Haru chimed in flatly after taking a couple pictures of Nagisa, "He's in my science class. He gets all the top scores in that class, too."

"Ahh, so he's a nerd, huh?" Nagisa hummed in thought while accepting a plate of cake from Makoto. "Perfect! I'll meet with you after your math class tomorrow and you can introduce me! And he'll be my tutor! It will be perfect!"

-xxx-

"Yeah, well, Ichigo managed to get out of the house and get herself knocked up," Rin pulled his backpack to his front to rummage around for his keys. "By the cat in the apartment across from mine. The kid came over and told me so. What was his name again…?"

"Onii-chan, don't pretend you don't know his name," the girl on the other line giggled, "Is he cute?"

"Gou!" he cried, his little sister laughing.

"C'mon, Rinrin, I can just hear it in your voice! He's smokin' hot, isn't he?"

"…Yeah, okay, he's cute," Rin admitted, unlocking the door to his apartment, and Gou cheered. "I think his name was Makoto. He offered to help with Ichigo's pregnancy, since he feels partially responsible that she got pregnant."

"What a gentleman," Gou said with a hint of sarcasm, and Rin chuckled, shrugging his backpack to the floor and picking up Ichigo who had greeted him at the door.

"You're starting to sound like me."

"Am I?"

"Yeah. I can't decide if I should be proud or worried." Gou laughed.

"Ah, Hana-chan! I gotta go, onii-chan, Hana-chan and I are gonna go to the library to study for midterms now!"

"Alright. Talk to you later, Gou," he hung up his cellphone and tucked it into his pocket. "Hey, Ichigo." The cat meowed, rubbing her head against his chin. "Ah, alright, alright. Dinner time. I'm starving." Ichigo jumped lightly when someone knocked on the door.

"Rin-senpai!" came the sunny voice from the other side of the door, "I brought take-out! And I brought Rei-kun!"

At the words "take-out", Rin had opened the door and ushered the younger boys inside.

"Ah, Nitori," he greeted, grabbing the bag of food from his hands, "I appreciate the take-out, but why did you bring this nerd?" he gestured at Rei, who gave him an unimpressed look and folded his arms.

"Well pardon me for wanting my_ friends_ to get _good grades_," he replied snottily, pushing his glasses up. Rin snickered, Ichigo lounging on his shoulders and giving Rei a curious look.

"I'm kidding, Rei. C'mon, I'm hungry and I gotta feed Ichigo." He led them to the kitchen, where he opened a can of cat food and scooped it into Ichigo's pink cat dish covered in strawberries (which Rei snorted at and Rin glared at him). Then he immediately dug into the noodles Nitori had brought over.

"Ah, Rin-senpai, how did your quiz go?" Nitori asked, grinning excitedly.

"Grood," Rin replied around a mouthful of noodles, "Fanks f'r h'lpin' me shtudy."

"Ah, it's no problem! I'm just glad I was able to help you." Rin nodded, then looked to Rei.

"What's on the study agenda for tonight, Rei?" he asked, and Rei pushed up his glasses again, swallowing his mouthful of noodles before responding.

"Math for Nitori. Japanese literature for you. English for me."

"Aaagh," Rin groaned, "I don't want toooo. Can't we just watch Shark Week instead?"

"Not with midterms right around the corner, we can't," Rei scolded, and Rin let out another groan, causing Ichigo to meow back at him.

"Yeah, hear that, Rei? Ichigo says we should watch Shark Week."

"She said no such thing!" Rei sputtered, and Nitori laughed.

"Ahh, poor Ichigo-chan," Nitori chuckled, "You always get in the middle of Rin-senpai and Rei-san's fights."

Ichigo looked over to the three boys and surveyed them with yellow eyes before licking her lips and getting back to her dinner.

* * *

nEXT CHAPTER HOORAY

So, while writing this, I was like "HM, THESE GUYS SEEM A LITTLE...NOT...CANON." then I realized I was writing an AU. (hurr durr)

I'm pretty pleased with how things are fleshing out so far. I kinda like Rin and Rei's dynamic as friends (they like each other, but they piss each other off, like, a lot) and I like Rin and Gou's brother-sister dynamic (thEY'RE HELLA CLOSE AND HELLA PROTECTIVE).

As for majors and class strengths and weaknesses, I know what everyone will be doing, but at the same time I don't. I'm figuring it out though, don't worry! (Plus they shouldn't really be TOO important to the story line...well, they are, but they're not at the same time. ya feel?)

SO, let me know what you guys think! Sorry if the next chapter comes a little slower, I just finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist, and now I just started FMA: Brotherhood. (aka I actually don't have a life anymore)

But yeah! Leave a review, and I'll try to get the next chapter done ASAP!


	4. Chapter 3

"Ugh, finally," Rin cracked his neck and stretched out towards the ceiling. "All finished."

"Ahh, good work everyone!" Nitori complimented, stretching out across the table with a content sigh, then giggling when Ichigo hopped onto the table and rubbed herself onto his face. She wandered over to Rei and sniffed at his hand that was writing before rubbing against that and messing up his work.

"Ugh, Ichigo," he nudged her away towards Rin, where she sat in front of him and mewled. Rin blinked before resting his forehead onto the top of Ichigo's head.

"Stupid little thing is so fucking cute," he muttered as she purred contently at the weight.

"Well Rei-san, we better get back to the dorm. It's getting late."

"Ah, you're right." Rei finished his sentence before shutting his book and beginning to pack his things. Nitori did the same, and Rin stood.

"Alright, well. Nice seeing you losers. Good luck with class tomorrow." He waved as the two underclassmen exited the apartment. He closed the front door and went back to the coffee table where his work was still strewn about, Ichigo sitting where he left her.

"Well, I have to admit," he leaned down to pet her, "It's a lot fucking nicer around here now that you aren't yowling like a maniac."

-xxx-

"Ahhh, finished! Thanks so much, Mako-chan!" Nagisa sighed, closing his math textbook, which Kabocha promptly sat on. "Uh, Kabocha, you can't sit there. I have to put it away."

"Nagisa, did you need us to walk you back to the dorms?" Makoto offered, and Nagisa smiled, shooing the cat away from his textbook.

"Nah, it's alright. It's not too far from here. And it's still light outside. I'll be alright!" he packed up his bag, then glanced over to the closed room of Haru's door. "Hmm. He's probably in his zone right now, huh?"

"Yeah, you know Haru," Makoto smiled fondly, "Once he starts a project, he barely stops to do anything."

"Let him know I said bye! And I'll see you tomorrow after your math class, okay?"

"Yep. Sure thing, Nagisa. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Mako-chan! Bye Kabocha!" and with that, Nagisa left. Makoto closed the front door and smiled as Kabocha rubbed himself in between his legs.

"Makoto." Came Haru's firm voice from his bedroom, making Makoto jump nearly 3 feet in the air. "Come here."

Makoto sighed; he knew it would come eventually. He walked over to Haru's door, opening it to see Haru sitting in front of his easel, hands covered in paint. Kabocha trotted in and jumped onto Haru's bed, sitting and observing the duo.

"So," Haru began, "What do you know about this…Matsuoka Rin?"

"Uh," Makoto sat down on Haru's bed, allowing Kabocha to lounge and knead at his legs, "Well, he's around your height. He's got red hair, red eyes. Really sharp teeth. I think he's around our age…and I've seen him around campus, so I know he's going to our college."

"…That's all?" Haru asked, turning away from his canvas to look at Makoto with a stern glare, "I'd like to meet him."

"Haru-chaaaan," Makoto whined, "Whyyyyyy?"

"Because I need to know if he's no good for you," Haru replied easily, turning back to his painting and wiping some paint away with his finger.

"Fine. Do you need me to leave so you can get that done?" Makoto asked, picking up Kabocha and standing from the bed. When Haru didn't reply, Makoto rolled his eyes with a fond smile and left, closing the door behind him.

-xxx-

The next day after Makoto's math class, Nagisa and Haru walked into the lecture hall.

"Hi, Mako-chan!" Nagisa greeted, "Look, Haru-chan came too!" Makoto waved them over to where he was packing up his things and talking to Rei.

"Hey, guys. Ahh, Ryugazaki-kun, these are my friends, Hazuki Nagisa and Nanase Haruka. Nagisa wanted to ask you to tutor him."

"Pleeeeeeeeease, Rei-chan?! Mako-chan says you're the top of the class, and math is really _really_ hard! If you could help me, I'd be grateful!"

"R-Rei-chan?!" Rei sputtered, his cheeks flushing at the too familiar nickname the blond boy gave him, "…Erm, yeah, I can tutor you. I'm free now, if you are. We could go to the library. Just don't call me Rei-chan."

"Yay! Let's go right now, Rei-chan! I just got done in my math class, so while it's still fresh in your mind, let's get to work!" he grabbed the boy's wrist and dragged him out of the classroom, Rei squawking, 'don't call me Rei-chan!' Makoto chuckled at Nagisa's antics before turning to Haru.

"He's totally into him." He stated, and Haru quirked an eyebrow.

"I know," he replied, "That's why I came along. Rei seems nice though."

"He is. Want to go grab lunch?"

-xxx-

Since the weather was so nice, and Rin didn't have any classes today, he decided to work on some homework on the balcony. He had blocked off any exits that Ichigo could squeeze through and allowed her to come and go indoors and outdoors as she pleased. She was currently stretched out in the sun, snoozing contentedly. Rin smiled fondly at her before returning to his novel for his English class.

"Ah, Rin-san!" he turned to see Makoto across the way, waving at him with a cheerful smile.

"I thought I told you to drop the –san," he called back, marking his place before turning his full attention to the other. "What's up?"

"Nothing, really. Just got back from lunch with my roommate, decided it was nice out and came to do my homework outside. How about you?"

"Same. Except, I haven't eaten lunch yet." Rin paused before blushing lightly, "Um, it's kinda weird to be yelling at each other. Did you wanna come over? We could do homework together."

Makoto blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Sure. I'll be right over."

Rin watched Makoto disappear into his apartment and began to panic.

His apartment was clean (being a bit of a neat freak helped in that department), Ichigo wasn't yowling like an idiot and shoving her butthole in people's faces anymore, he had tea to offer. So why was he freaking out? Everything would be fine. It's just two dudes hanging out. A dude and a really hot dude. Maybe doing some homework. It's cool. It's _fine_.

The front door buzzed and Ichigo shot up from her nap, blinking groggily as Rin power walked to the door and buzzed Makoto in.

"Hey again," Makoto greeted with a laugh, and Rin let him inside. Ichigo trotted up and sniffed him curiously. "Hello, Ichigo."

"Hey. So uh, can you tell if she's really pregnant or not?" Rin asked, and Makoto hummed in thought, kneeling down to observe the cat's behavior as she continued to sniff at him.

"Well, it's only been a couple days, so there's no way to know for sure right now." He replied, holding out his hand for Ichigo to sniff.

"Ah." Rin sat down on the sofa and watched as Ichigo allowed Makoto to pet her as she continued to sniff and give him curious bites. "…So how do you know so much about cats?"

"Back at home, we have a family cat," Makoto replied, "She was a stray that I found. She followed me home one day, and my family took her in. Since she was white, the twins creatively named her Snowball. She liked to go outside, and of course we forgot that cats go through heat cycles. So, she came home and was pregnant." Makoto paused before chuckling to himself, "She got pregnant quite a few times, actually. So, we learned how to deal with it, how to take care of a pregnant cat. She's kind of old now, so she prefers to stay inside and sleep a lot."

"Interesting," Rin muttered, smiling as Ichigo grew bored of Makoto and trotted over to the still open door to the balcony.

"So, we'll wait a few weeks, see if anything changes."

"Well, she's stopped yowling. So, I'm guessing she got pregnant."

"Most likely. Plus there's not a lot of strays in this area, and I'm guessing you don't let her out often."

"Nope. And when I do, I usually block off the balcony so she can't get out. I still can't figure out just how she got out of the house that night."

"Same with Kabocha. It really is strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Rin replied quietly, and the two fell into an uncomfortable silence. "…So! Homework!"

"Oh, yeah! Are you any good at English by chance? I'm so horrible at it, and Haru can only help me so much…" Makoto grinned sheepishly at him, and Rin chuckled.

"English happens to be my best subject. I can help you out."

* * *

Hello again, friends!

WOWZA, I just realized I never thanked any of you for your reviews. THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH! It's really good to hear that people are enjoying this body of work. I'm always wary of posting any of my works in fear that people won't like it, so it's such a relief to know people like it!

Also with all this Free! Eternal Summer stuff floating around, it's easier to see pictures of Makoto with cats. PRAISE JESUS!

WELL, few updates. One, I started a summer class (mATH BLEAHGUGH) so my attention will mostly be towards that. It's only one day a week, so it shouldn't be too bad! Also two, I picked up The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and have been playing the shit out of that. And I'm still watching FMA: Brotherhood. So if updates seem slow, THESE ARE PROBABLY THE REASONS WHY.

The next chapter is in the works though, and to be honest, I'm still a little confused as to where the hell I'm going with this. But my end goal makes it a little easier to pick apart what could happen.

ANYWAYS, once again, please leave your thoughts! I'd love to hear them (:


	5. Chapter 4

Within the next few weeks, Ichigo had become pleasantly plump.

"I'd say you could take her to the vet now and get an ultrasound," Makoto said thoughtfully, "See if the kittens are developing normally."

"Ugh. I don't want to spend any money on that damn thing." Rin scoffed, glaring at his book.

Within the past few weeks, while Ichigo was supporting new life inside her tiny little cat body and getting fatter, Makoto and Rin had been hanging out and studying together more and more. Where Makoto struggled with English, he made up for in Japanese literature, where Rin struggled. The two helped each other out when they needed to, but other than that worked in companionable silence. Almost like they had known each other all their lives.

"Well…How about I pitch in some money?" Makoto offered, closing his book and turning his full attention to Rin, who gave Makoto a surprised look.

"What? You don't have to do that," Rin flushed, scratching the back of his head. "You're already gonna help me birth and take care of the babies. I don't need to take your money, too."

"It's no trouble," Makoto insisted, "It's important to see if the babies are developing okay and to see if Ichigo will have any complications."

"No, I won't let you," Rin gave Makoto a stern glare, "You're too nice. That'll get you in trouble one day." Makoto laughed.

"You sound just like-" he was interrupted by the door buzzing.

"Ah, hang on, it might be Nitori or Rei," Rin said, standing up from the floor to buzz in the guest and wait for them to come up. There was a rough knock, and Rin's brows furrowed, opening the door, only to be greeting to a glaring boy who was definitely not Nitori or Rei. "…Uh, can I help you?"

"I'm here for Makoto," the boy said darkly, pointing at the brunet sitting on the floor.

"H-Haru?! What are you doing here?!...How did you even know I was here?"

"So, you know this guy?" Rin asked, eyeing the shorter boy suspiciously, who returned the favor, looking Rin up and down.

"…I don't like him," Haru said to Makoto, and Rin growled.

"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are?! You can't just come into my house and say you don't like me!" he snarled, and Haru glared at him.

"Har-ruuu," Makoto groaned, hiding behind his hands, "You're embarrassing me!"

"Who are you anyway?" Rin asked, leaning against the wall and quirking an eyebrow. "Are you Makoto's…" he paused, swallowing down the lump of jealousy, "…boyfriend or something?"

"…And what if I am?" Haru asked levelly, tilting his head at Rin, who flushed hotly and glared harder at Haru. Makoto rushed over, trying to push Haru out of the door.

"H-He's not my boyfriend! I-I've known Haru since we were little kids!" Makoto explained, his face a lovely pink shade. "Anyway, Haru, don't you need to go home and feed Kabocha for me?"

"No," Haru replied, "I fed him before I left. I think I'll stay here."

"What the hell, you can't just invite yourself into my house!" Rin shouted, but Haru was already taking off his shoes and walking into the living room, observing the pictures Rin had set up on the side table next to the couch.

"I'm so sorry," Makoto groaned, pressing his hot face into his cool hands, "I'm so so sorry. Haru is just…Really protective."

"Still, doesn't give him the right to barge into my house." Rin continued to glare at the boy who had made himself comfortable on the floor in front of the coffee table.

"Do you have any mackerel?"

"Haru, don't be rude," Makoto sighed in defeat.

"Makoto," Haru said, then pointed at the pictures.

"Oh," Makoto came over and looked at each one, "That's Rin's little sister, Gou. And that's his mother. This is a picture of his father when he was younger."

Then the two stared at each other for a while, Makoto giving Haru a determined look, and Haru giving Makoto an angry scowl, while Rin stood awkwardly.

"…Fine," Haru finally sighed, and Makoto smiled at him with a sigh of relief.

"Oh, so now you two are telepathic?" Rin scoffed, and Makoto looked at Haru, who gave him a sly look, then looked back at Rin boredly.

"Probably."

Rin _hated_ him.

-xxx-

A couple days later, Rin had managed to convince his parents to send him some money to take Ichigo to the vet for a checkup.

"I'll go with you," Makoto offered, and Rin couldn't refuse him, because he could see in Makoto's eyes that he desperately wanted to see the little kittens on the ultrasound machine.

"…Alright," he relented, smiling fondly as Makoto cheered and stroked Ichigo happily.

-xxx-

When they went to the vet, Rin had to let Ichigo chew and claw at his hand angrily because she absolutely did NOT like the doctor prodding at her. She kept her claws dug into Rin's hand and growled and whipped her tail when the doctor did the ultrasound.

"Oi, you little shit, can't you behave?" Rin snapped, and Ichigo hissed at him, her tail lashing about.

"I'm surprised," Makoto said with a frown, "She's usually so well behaved."

"Yeah, well," Rin snorted, "When it comes to the vet, she's a pain in the ass."

"Well, Matsuoka-san," the vet piped up, observing the ultrasound, "Looks like everything is going along as it should. Ichigo is up to date on all her shots, and the kittens look like they're developing well. As for the birth-"

"That's why I got Makoto here," Rin interrupted, jabbing a thumb at the taller boy, "He's birthed kittens before."

"Ah, perfect!" The vet smiled at him, "Are you going to be a vet, Makoto-san?"

"O-Oh, no!" Makoto chuckled nervously, "The thought definitely crossed my mind, but…I'm squeamish when it comes to needles and such. I do volunteer sometimes at shelters…"

Shelters. Makoto volunteered at _animal shelters._ Could he get anymore adorable?

Apparently he could, because the way his eyes sparkled when he saw the kittens on the screen was enough to make Rin flush and forget about his annoying cat that was ripping his hand apart.

-xxx-

A few more weeks, with midterms right around the corner, and with a clean bill of health, Ichigo grew plumper.

Rin grew more annoyed with Haruka, who would "conveniently" come over and intrude on what was supposed to be his alone time with Makoto. With Haru coming over, and with the occasional visit from Nitori and Rei (who had started toting Nagisa around), Rin's apartment had become the central hub for all midterm and studying purposes. Each student had their strong suit, and each of them would help each other when they needed it.

Rin couldn't remember a time he was surrounded by so many people. It was a little unnerving at first, especially since the younger trio would be so loud and rambunctious. Makoto kept them in line, and when they got too loud, he would use what Rin called his 'stern teacher voice' and the trio would quiet down and get back to work.

Soon Makoto insisted on bringing Kabocha over, since he thought the cat was getting lonely since he was hanging out with Rin so much. (To which Rin replied, "How the fuck is it lonely? It's a _cat_. Cats are one of the most independent creatures on the face of the earth, and you're worried he's _lonely_." Then Makoto pouted at him, and goddamn it, he just couldn't say no to him when he pouted.) Kabocha and Ichigo didn't particularly enjoy or dislike each other's company. Ichigo would idly sniff at him before meowing, maybe batting at his head, and trotting away. Kabocha regarded everything lazily and greedily drank in all the attention from everyone, languidly lounging in different people's laps every few minutes.

To Rin's surprise, Ichigo preferred the company of Haru. She would sit next to him, eyes closing contentedly when he would stroke her fur. Soon, whenever Haru came over, he would sit in his place at the coffee table and Ichigo would climb into his lap and nap contentedly.

The six of them became friends fairly quickly, which Rin didn't mind at all, but at the same time, he missed the days where he would have alone time with Makoto.

"Well, we'll see you lot soon," Rin sighed, escorting the younger trio to the door, "Good luck on all your midterms."

"Thanks, Rin-chan!" Nagisa chirped, and Rin tousled the shorter boy's hair with a grin before pushing him towards the door.

"See you later, Rin-senpai! Bye Makoto-senpai, Haru-senpai!" Rin rolled his eyes at all of Nitori's formalities and tousled his hair too for good measure, Nitori giggling all the while.

"Goodbye, Rin-san, Makoto-senpai, Haruka-senpai." Rei waved at them, then looked at Rin wearily. Rin smirked at him.

"What, you don't want me to give you a good luck noogie, Rei?" he asked, and Rei frowned, pushing up his glasses.

"I would prefer that you didn't." he replied, and Nagisa came up next to him, holding his arms back with a laugh.

"Do it, Rin-chan, do it!" Nagisa goaded, and Rin laughed before reaching out and messing up Rei's hair with both his hands.

"Alright, alright," Makoto chided, hints of his stern teacher voice coming out, "You guys go home and get some rest. And make sure you eat breakfast."

"Okay, mom," Nagisa giggled, his arm still linked with a very disgruntled Rei. "Bye, Mako-chan! Bye Haru-chan! Bye, Rin-chan!"

With a few more goodbyes, Rin closed his door and wandered back to where Makoto and Haru were sitting at the coffee table. Haru had focused his camera on Kabocha and Ichigo, who were lounging on the couch, Kabocha grooming Ichigo affectionately.

"Those two sure are getting along." Makoto said, smiling warmly at the two cats. Rin chuckled.

"Yeah, Ichigo being groomed like the little princess she is," he replied, watching Haru take snapshot after snapshot of the two. He blinked when Haru turned around and took a snapshot of him. "Oi, don't take my picture!" Rin griped, and Haru lowered his camera, looking through his pictures.

"Makoto," he muttered, "I have to go home and start making a portfolio."

"Oh, alright," Makoto replied, finishing up a sentence on his page.

"Switch these two words around," Rin said, pointing at the two on the page, "You've gotten a lot better, Makoto."

"Ah, thank you," Makoto smiled, "It's because I've had a good teacher." Rin blushed brightly as Makoto switched the two words around and put away his books. "Alright Haru, Kabocha. Let's go home."

After the two of them packed up, Rin escorted the two of them to the door and wished them luck on their midterms, closing the door, and yawning widely.

"Ichigo, bed time." He called, and Ichigo let out a little mewl, hopping of the couch and following Rin to his bedroom.

* * *

AYYYYYY

I really like the fact that these chapters are turning out all big and meaty. ANYWAY, HOW HAVE YA BEEN?

I just finished Feelmetal Feelchemist: Brotherfeels the other day. HOLY FEELS. It hurt me emotionally. In my heart. :'(

I'm probably gonna rewatch Free! before starting another anime. Because I'm getting SO PUMPED FOR ETERNAL SUMMER. I was thinking of checking out Haiykuu next, since I've seen a couple pictures of the characters and they look hella adorable and also I saw this hilarious video and I was like "WHAT THE HELL". so that might be my next anime excursion. WE'LL SEE!

But I'll keep pumping out chapters! MAINLY CUZ I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS. So many. A lot. They cute as hell, too.

SO YEAH as always, leave a review! :) I appreciate and read every single one, even if I don't reply or anything like that. Until next time!


	6. Chapter 5

"Have a good spring break," his professor whispered as she took his test, and Rin nodded, adjusting his backpack and exiting the lecture hall, heaving out a huge sigh of relief.

He trudged down the hall of the building, his adrenaline rush from having his midterm placed in front of him wearing off, and he was starting to feel the extra hours he stayed up to study.

"Ah, Rin," he turned to see Makoto yawning widely as he exited a classroom, quietly closing the door behind him. "Good morning."

"Hey," Rin replied quietly, and the two walked down the hall, "How was your midterm?"

"It went well," Makoto smiled, "And you?"

"Easy," he boasted, then paused, chuckling lightly, "But only because I stayed up later and studied some more." Makoto laughed.

"Ah, same here. I'm probably just gonna go home and cuddle with Kabocha to celebrate midterms being over," Makoto yawned again, "How about you?"

"I have to start packing," he replied, and Makoto gave him a curious look (with a hint of worry? Makoto was _worried?_ Dear God, he couldn't get any cuter.) "I'm gonna be spending summer break back at home with my mom and little sister."

"Oooh," Makoto nodded in understanding, "I'm gonna be going back home for a little while too, with Haru. Maybe a couple days, then I'm coming back and picking up some extra hours at work."

"Oh? Where do you work?" Rin asked, holding open the door so the two of them could exit the building they were in. Makoto smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"A pet store." Rin paused in his stride, blinking owlishly at Makoto, who had stopped as well, giving him a questioning look.

Nope. He could get cuter. He probably named all the pets at the store and he probably held back tears when a family took them home. But was it because he would miss the animal? Or because he was proud it found a family?

"Rin, are you alright?" Makoto asked, coming over to where Rin had crippled over, flushing and covering his mouth to contain his laughter, "Are you going to be sick?"

"No," Rin choked out, "It's just," he laughed, "I probably should have seen that coming." Makoto scratched his cheek, blushing slightly.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Do," Rin gulped in a breath of air, giggling when he looked at Makoto, "Do you name the animals? In the store?" Makoto blanched, flushing hotly.

"I…Are you making fun of me?!" Makoto cried, and Rin laughed even harder.

"I knew it!" he cheered, and Makoto fumbled, blushing brightly.

"S-So what if I do?! It's not like I'm the only person in the whole world that does it!" he argued and Rin's laughter died down, wiping a stray tear away.

"Probably not. I'm not making fun of you, I just," Rin shrugged, smiling lopsidedly, "I think it's cute."

Now it was Makoto who blinked owlishly at Rin. He could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment, and Rin grinned wider.

"C'mon. Let's go get some coffee. My treat." Rin gestured towards the coffee shop down the road, and Makoto nodded.

"O-Okay."

-xxx-

"Haru, Kabocha, I'm home!" Makoto called out, taking his shoes off and walking towards Haru's room. "Haru, I brought you some coffee, and a muffin."

"Thank you," Haru said, pushing away from his computer and rubbing his eyes. He accepted the goods from Makoto, who sat down on his bed next to Kabocha.

"How's your portfolio coming?" Haru shrugged, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a careful sip.

"Alright, I guess. If my teacher likes it, I'll get a wall to hang my photos up in the art show for my final."

"I'm sure he'll like your portfolio, Haru," Makoto encouraged, smiling brightly, "You always take such nice photos."

"Thank you." Haru said, taking a bite of the muffin, swallowing before continuing, "I have to go turn in my paintings later today and have a critique, too."

"Hmm," Makoto smiled, "Why don't I invite everyone over and we have a hot pot? In celebration of midterms being over!"

"Mackerel," Haru commanded, and Makoto laughed.

"Okay, we'll put mackerel in the hot pot. What goes with mackerel?"

"Pineapple," Haru replied easily, and Makoto stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"Pineapple doesn't go in a hot pot, Haru."

"Not with that attitude."

"I'll get you some pineapple that you can eat on the side," Makoto relented, then pulled out his wallet. "Ah. I might not have enough to buy the ingredients…Maybe we'll put a hold on the hot pot idea."

"Here," Haru tossed his wallet to Makoto, "Take whatever you need."

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked, looking to Haru, who gave him a determined look. _You promised mackerel._ Makoto smiled fondly, "Alright, alright. Need anything else while I'm out?"

"No." Haru decided, turning back to his computer, "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it," Makoto replied, giving Kabocha a quick scratch behind his ears before leaving the room, making a list of things to grab while at the store.

He glanced out the balcony door to see Rin standing and talking on his phone. He walked outside, waving, and Rin smiled, waving back. Makoto waited until he was off the phone, then asked, "Wanna go to the grocery store with me?"

"Depends. What's in it for me?" Makoto laughed.

"Hot pot at my house. I'm inviting everyone over to celebrate midterms being over."

"Will this hot pot include beef?" Rin asked, and Makoto tilted his head in thought.

"Does beef go with mackerel?"

"Beef goes with everything. I'll meet you downstairs."

-xxx-

At the grocery store, Makoto pushed the cart while Rin trudged along behind him, the two of them deciding on what vegetables to put into the hot pot for that night.

"Cabbage?" Rin supplied, "…Bok choy."

"Celery…? Carrots!" Makoto grabbed a package, "Mushrooms?"

"Noodles."

"Greeeeen beeeeaaannnsssss…?" Makoto asked hesitantly, staring at the package.

"Blegh. Beef."

"We already have beef."

"More beef."

"_Rin_."

"Chicken. And pork. Crab! They have crab!"

"What, do I look like I'm made of money? We're not getting crab."

"But _Makoto_, it's on _sale_-!"

"_We're not getting crab_!"

-xxx-

"Hey, Nagisa. Are you with Rei and Nitori by chance?"

"Hi, Mako-chan! Why yes, I happen to be with them. What's up?"

"Come to my house tonight around six. We're gonna do a hot pot in honor of midterms being over." Makoto pulled his phone away slightly when Nagisa cheered loudly.

"Okay! We'll see you at six then! I hope there's lots to eat!"

"Of course there will be lots to eat. We'll see the three of you later."

Makoto hung up the phone, returning his attention to the broth he was slowly bringing to a boil. Haru had returned home from his critique and was cutting up the vegetables and raw meats next to him, and Rin was in the living room, playing on his phone while Kabocha laid across his chest lazily.

"So, how did your critique go?" Makoto asked, and Haru shrugged.

"As well as it could have gone, I guess," he replied, placing all the freshly chopped vegetables onto a separate plate, starting on the raw meats. "Everyone liked my paintings."

"That's good," Makoto smiled, "I liked your paintings, too. They were beautiful."

"Thanks."

"Oi, Haru, when do we get to see your photos? I want to see the ones you took of Ichigo." Rin called from the living room.

"I can show you on my computer later," Haru called back, "They all turned out really good."

"Oh, when will you find out if you get a wall for that class?" Makoto asked, and Haru shrugged.

"Probably in the next few weeks." Haru paused when he went to grab the mackerel from the fridge, his eyes going wide. He looked at Makoto.

"They had fresh ones on sale at the market," Makoto explained, smiling. "Is that a good one? Rin said that one looked the best."

"Makoto," Haru choked, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "I love you."

"Ehh?! H-Haru, are you crying?!"

"Ha! I knew it! Makoto, you owe me ten yen!" Rin called from the living room. Makoto sighed, patting Haru's head.

"Alright, Haru, you better start cleaning the mackerel now…Ah, Haru, the broth-!"

"You better not fuck up this hot pot, you two!"

"We won't if Haru would just finish cleaning the mackerel-!"

"A whole mackerel," Haru mumbled quietly into Makoto's shirt, "A whole, fresh mackerel."

"Haru!"

-xxx-

After almost boiling over the broth, Rin having to force Haru off of Makoto so he could finish cutting the mackerel, lots of splatters, spills, and Rin making fun of both of them, the hot pot was set in the middle of the table and everyone had a place to sit. When the buzzer sounded, Rin took care of letting in the trio.

"Hiyya, Rin-chan! We brought cake!" Nagisa greeted, holding up the white box.

"Ooooh, I've never been to Haru-senpai and Makoto-senpai's apartment before!" Nitori chimed in, looking around. Rei glanced around curiously as well, taking his shoes off before Nagisa tugged them both inside and showed them around.

"Ahh, it's like it's his apartment," Rin snickered, returning to the kitchen to put the cake in the fridge.

"Nagisa, Rei, Nitori, come eat!" Makoto called to the three who were admiring the pictures Makoto had set up in front of the TV.

"Ahh, it smells really yummy, Mako-chan!" Nagisa hummed, sitting down in between Rei and Nitori.

"Rin and Haru helped too," Makoto said, smiling at the full table. Nitori and Nagisa were staring at the hot pot with wide, sparkling eyes, and Rei rolled his eyes fondly at his two companions. "Well, everyone, here's to hoping we all did well on our midterms!" a chorus of "yes!" sounded around the table, except Nagisa who chimed, "I probably failed!", then Rei smacked his shoulder, shouting, "With all that extra studying we did, you better not have!"

"Oh ho? Extra studying?" Rin smirked, grabbing a piece of beef from the hot pot, "Tell us, Rei, what _kind_ of extra studying did you two do?"

"N-Not like that!" Rei stuttered, pushing up his glasses to hide his growing blush, "Nagisa-kun is a unique learner, s-so we studied alone to help him!"

"Rei-chan is a good teacher!" Nagisa said around a carrot, not ashamed at all, "Mako-chan, this hot pot is delicious!"

"Glad you're enjoying it, Nagisa," Makoto laughed, looking to Haru, who had placed large chunks of mackerel into his bowl, along with some vegetables and some pineapples. His eyes were sparkling.

Nitori was chewing happily on his vegetables, smacking Nagisa's chopsticks away when he tried to take some of his beef. Rin was focusing on the meat, and when Makoto gave him a stern look, he begrudgingly took more vegetables into his bowl. Rei had equal parts of everything available in the hot pot, also having to smack Nagisa away from his bowl.

"Nagisa, there is a whole pot filled with food right in front of you. Stop taking from everyone else." Makoto chided, and Nagisa whined around a piece of celery, reaching towards the hot pot.

"Okay, mom," Nagisa muttered, and Rin snickered.

"Now that everyone has been scolded by Mama Makoto," Rin said, smirking at Makoto's pout, "Maybe you could focus on feeding yourself before Nagisa eats the whole pot."

-xxx-

After eating all of the hot pot, they all settled around the TV for a few rounds of Mario Kart and Mario Party.

"Rei-chan, why did you steal a star from _me_?! Haru-chan's the one with the most stars!" Nagisa screeched, while Nitori and Rin laughed at him.

"I stole a star from _you_ because you said you would fail your midterms after I spent all that time tutoring you," Rei replied, pushing up his glasses, and Nitori laughed even harder when Rei landed on a Bowser space.

"Oh my god, Rei-kun, _that must suck_," Nitori choked out, hunching over his controller.

"That is what you get, Rei-chan, you big fat turd."

"_I am not a turd!__"_

"You're all awful at this game," Haru said frankly around a bite of cake, chewing thoughtfully as Bowser stole all of Rei's coins.

"Sorry we call can't be Mario Party prodigies like you, Haru-chan." Nagisa snickered, nudging him with his shoulder.

While the four of them bickered over Mario Party, Rin had nudged Makoto and the two slipped out onto the balcony for a breath of fresh air.

"Those three sure are energetic," Makoto sighed, shivering lightly as a cool breeze passed by. Rin yawned, stretching up and then leaning against the balcony.

"Yeah. I almost feel kinda bad that we left Haru with them." Rin glanced inside, Haru staring at the TV while eating cake, and Nagisa yelling obscenities and throwing his controller on the ground in frustration.

"He'll be okay," Makoto said with a laugh, then they both went quiet. "…So when are you coming back?"

"Saturday night, probably," Rin replied quietly, then he grinned lazily, "Why, you gonna miss me?"

"Of course I am," Makoto smiled, and Rin's heart stuttered and he forgot to breathe, "I won't be able to go to your house and hang out with Ichigo until spring break is over."

"_Wow_," Rin pouted, "Hanging out with me to get to my cat. That's low, Makoto. You've cut me deep." Makoto laughed again, and Rin's heart stuttered again, and he nearly made a choking sound because _god damn it_ Makoto was the cutest human being alive and Rin just wanted to kiss the shit out of him.

"I'm kidding. I will miss you, though. I always have lots of fun when I'm with you." Makoto said, quietly, so quiet that Rin had to strain to hear him. He was looking out to the street, watching the cars drive by, probably too embarrassed to look Rin in the eye. Rin smiled softly, nudging his arm.

"I'll be back before you know it. We could…We could text if you wanted to," Rin muttered, rubbing his nose, "You could give me your number."

Makoto blinked in surprise, then smiled (Rin was sure he was going to kill him with that smile one day), and pulled out his cellphone.

"Here," he said, handing it Rin, "Enter yours, and I'll enter mine into your phone."

They exchanged numbers, their fingers brushing as they gave their phones back to each other.

"Why did you put your name as 'Super Hot Sexy Rin'?" Makoto asked.

"Just so you don't forget that I'm super hot and sexy." Rin replied easily, then he snickered, "…And I wanted to hear you say 'super hot sexy Rin'."

"Hey, are you guys making out?" Nagisa asked loudly, pulling the balcony door open.

"No, Nagisa," Makoto replied, rolling his eyes.

"Good, then c'mon, it's your turn for Mario Kart!"

"I am going to kick all of your asses," Rin said confidently, rolling up his sleeves and stomping into the house.

"Doubtful." Haru said flatly, smirking at Rin.

"Oi, what did you say to me? I'm going to rub that smirk right off your face, Nanase, I am the fucking master at Mario Kart."

"We'll see about that," Haru replied, finishing his cake.

"Oooh, a battle for Mako-chan's affection!" Nagisa chimed, and Makoto laughed sheepishly, blushing hotly.

"I-I don't think so," he said, looking down when Kabocha jumped into his lap and pressed his paws onto his chest so he could lick Makoto's chin.

"Ah, too bad, Haru-chan and Rin-chan! Looks like Kabocha won the fight for Mako-chan's affection!" Nagisa laughed, then looked back at the screen just to see Rin's screen explode with hues of blue.

"_WHO THE FUCK THREW THE BLUE SHELL_?!"

* * *

HELLO FRIENDS I FEEL LIKE IT HAS BEEN A WHILE

It probably has been a while. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? HOPEFULLY YOU ARE ALL DOING WELL! I'm doing pretty good. This chapter turned out a lot longer than I intended it to be. I just kept typing...and tyPING...AND TYPING! But I do like how it turned out :) LIKE HELL YEAH RIN AND MAKOTO BONDING, LET'S HOPE THEY MAKE OUT SOON. (they will probably make out soon i promise)

PLEASE REVIEW AS USUAL, you're all so sweet and leave me such nice comments :') And we'll see you next time!


	7. Chapter 6

"Onii-chan!"

Rin let out an 'oof', quickly shooting out his arms to catch his younger sister, who was now clinging to him like a koala.

"Hey, Gou. Hi, mom." He greeted, and his mother smiled.

"Alright, Gou-chan, don't cling to your brother like that. Let's help him get his stuff in the car." Gou giggled and let go of her brother, wandering into his apartment calling out to Ichigo. His mom pulled him down into a hug and leaned in to kiss his cheek, and he grumbled under his breath. "Hello, Rin-chan. How was school?"

"Good," he replied, "I think I did really well on my midterms."

"Wonderful!" His mother smiled at him, pinching his cheeks, "Oooh, I'm so proud of you!"

"C'mon, mom!" he whined, standing up straight to get away from her hands. "I only have a couple bags, and then the cat carrier."

"Ahh, Ichigo got so fat!" Gou squealed, taking pictures on her phone, "I have to show Hana-chan!"

"Wow, she really is pregnant." Rin's mom smiled, "When will she be giving birth?"

"I'm not really sure," Rin scratched the back of his head, "Makoto said it should be soon, though."

"Who's Makoto?" his mother asked, and Rin flushed when Gou grinned devilishly.

"Gou, don't you dare-!"

"Makoto is Rin's new boyfriend!" Gou cried in delight, and Rin stomped over to her to catch her in a headlock.

"Oh, it's a boy? I thought it was a girl! Giving your boys girl names must be all the rage these days."

"He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend. That…I occasionally flirt with. It's no big deal! He's just helping out with Ichigo when she gives birth! He's good with animals. He's helped cats give birth before. We're not dating!" Rin rambled, blushing hotly as he forced himself to shut his mouth. His mother just stood there with a pleasant smile on her face, and Gou was pinching his stomach to make him let her go.

"Oh, Rin-chan, it's okay if you date a boy. Gou-chan is with this really great boy herself-"

"Mom, no-!"

"You have a boyfriend?" Rin asked darkly, glaring down at his little sister, whom was still in a headlock. "More specifically, you have a boyfriend and _you didn't tell me_?"

"Ah, Gou-chan, you didn't tell your brother about Mikoshiba-kun? Shame on you!" His mother scolded, and Gou pouted.

"I didn't tell him because he's super overprotective and will probably try and beat the shit out of Seijuurou!" she argued, and Rin shrugged.

"Yeah, I probably will." He agreed easily, and Gou groaned in frustration.

"Alright you two, that's enough! Let's get your things to the car and get home. I'm making your favorite for dinner tonight!"

"_Beef_!" Rin cried out in delight, and his mother and Gou laughed.

-xxx-

"_Onii-chan, are you coming home soon? I drew you another picture in art class today! Mom put it up on the fridge!"_

"Oh she did? I can't wait to see it, Ran."

"_Onii-chan, I drew you stuff, too!"_ chimed in another tiny voice, and his little sister argued that it was her turn to talk to Makoto, and Ren already had his turn.

"Be nice to Ren, Ran." Makoto chastised, and Ran mumbled an apology.

"_Today in class, I got my paper I wrote back. I got an A+ and a gold star sticker!"_

"Wow, Ran, that's great! What was your paper about?"

"_Our hero,"_ Ran mumbled on the other line, and Makoto smiled.

"Ahh, can I read it when I get home? I need some inspiration for my papers."

"_No, onii-chan, you can't read it! It's too embarrassing…" _

"Oh, I'm sure it's a wonderful paper, Ran! I want to read it when I get home! Can I? Pretty please?"

"…_Okay. But you can't laugh at it!"_

"I would never laugh," Makoto promised. "Ah, Ran, can I talk to mom?"

"_Okay. Hang on a sec."_

Makoto heard shuffling and a little bit of shouting on the other line, then a _klunk_, then his mother.

"_Hello, Makoto! How are you doing?"_

"I'm good, mom. I was just going to ask you about tomorrow…"

"_Ah, yes! Your father is going to come pick up you and Haru tomorrow bright and early! Are you all packed?"_

"Yep. Even if it is only a few days." Makoto lied, looking to his clothes strewn on his bed that had yet to be packed away.

"_Ran, Ren, don't run through the house!"_ his mother sighed, "_These two have just been too energetic at the thought of their older brother coming home. I better go put them to bed before they break something. Good night, Makoto, I love you!"_

"Good night. I love you too. Tell everyone I said good night." Makoto flipped his phone shut, looking back to his bed, where Kabocha had decided that Makoto's shirts were a good place to relax. "C'mon, Kabocha, I need to pack that stuff."

"You still haven't packed?" Haru said in a bored tone as he entered the room, leaning against the doorframe, "We're leaving tomorrow."

"I'm aware, Haru," Makoto replied, standing to start packing his duffel bag with random shirts and pants for the few days at his parent's house. His phone went off with a cheerful chime, indicating he got a text message. "Could you grab my phone for me?" he asked, folding a pair of pants neatly into his bag.

Haru obeyed, wandering to sit at Makoto's desk and pick up his phone. There was a pause of silence, then Haru snorted.

"Super hot sexy Rin?" he asked, and Makoto straightened his back and felt his face heat up.

"R-Rin put himself in my phone as that! I haven't gotten a chance to change it yet!" he sputtered, and Haru smirked.

"He sent a picture of a girl holding Ichigo." He informed Makoto, handing him the phone to look. In the picture, a girl with a striking resemblance to Rin is holding up Ichigo with one hand and flashing the peace sign with the other, while Ichigo curiously sniffed at her cheek.

"Oh, that must be Gou." Makoto tilted his head, observing the snapshot. "Wow, Ichigo sure is big now."

"She's gonna be giving birth soon, right?" Haru asked, and Makoto nodded. His phone chimed with another message.

"He sent a video this time." Haru stood up to look at the phone screen, which played a video of Ichigo trotting around Rin's house.

"_Look how cute my cat is!_" Rin's voice behind the camera said, "_Ichigo, show Mako how cute you are_." Ichigo looked at Rin, then she stilled, sneezing, then making a gagging noise. "_…Wait Ichigo, what are you doing? OH GOD-_" then Ichigo hacked up a glorious hairball onto the carpet, "-_FUCK_" then the video ended.

Makoto burst out laughing, Haru letting out a snicker and sitting back down at Makoto's desk.

-xxx-

"So, Rinrin," Gou began, twirling into his room in her pajamas, clutching a rather large stuffed teddy bear. "If you tell me about Makoto, I'll tell you about Seijuurou."

"What is this, a sleepover where we talk about our feelings?" Rin snorted, flipping his phone closed and sitting up on his bed. "But fine. You spill about this Mikoshiba character first."

"Aw, c'mon, I wanna hear about Makoto! You said he was cute! Have you guys been hanging out?" Gou sat down next to him on his bed, clutching the bear to her chest, resting her chin on the head. "Have you guys kissed?"

"No!" Rin cried, smacking her with his pillow, huffing and hugging his pillow to his chest, "We're just friends. We hung out a lot to study for midterms. Let me tell you, Makoto? Cutest thing in the entire world. But his English is _horrible._"

"Did you guys study alone?" Gou asked through her excited giggles, and Rin sighed.

"For a while. Then Haru crashed the party. Then Rei and Nitori and Nagisa were hanging out with us, too." Rin was interrupted by his phone going off, and Gou squealed in excitement.

"Is it Makoto? Ohmygosh what did he say?!" she asked, scooting over to lean over to look at his phone.

"He says you and Ichigo are cute. With a little happy face." Rin said, smiling fondly, and Gou frowned, reaching for his phone.

"Gimme that," she demanded, and Rin held it out of her reach, "C'mon, onii-chan, I have the perfect response!"

"Oh please, Gou, I'm a grown man," Rin smirked confidently, "I think I know how to flirt."

"What are you going to say?" Gou asked, hovering over his shoulder to peak at what he was typing.

"Cuter than me, question mark, frowny face." He read his text out loud, and Gou nodded in approval.

"Make it a crying frowny face." She advised, and Rin shrugged, changing the emoticon before hitting send. They stared at his cellphone for a couple minutes before it chimed again, and Gou squealed once more.

"Ohmygod he's texting you so fast! What did he say, _what did he say_?!"

"Of course not super hot sexy Rin, winky face." Rin read, and Gou gasped.

"Oh. My. God. A winky face?! Ohmygod onii-chan, _OHMYGOD_, Makoto is _totally_ crushing on you!"

"Y-You think so?" Rin asked, trying desperately to keep his composure, and failing.

"Onii-chan, he sent a _WINKY. FACE_. When you winky face, it's because you are totally crushing on them," Gou explained, "This is like first grade flirting, _c'mon_, dude!"

"Oh my god," Rin breathed, rubbing his temples and Gou squealed again, smacking him excitedly with her teddy bear.

From Rin's desk chair, Ichigo observed the two with half-lidded eyes before stretching out and turning away from them.

* * *

WHY DID I GET EXCITED WHEN RIN AND MAKOTO WERE TEXTING IDK I'M DUMB

Another chapter for youse! :D okay, so, I've run into a little dilemma. so, like, for the next chapter, I kinda wanna do a little Rei/Nagisa/Nitori interlude, like, just their little adventures over spring break. Because they are my little babies. BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, I'M LIKE "uHHH who cares?" I'M NOT SURE. I might do it, I might not. I'M CONFLICTED, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? If you'd want to see it, I'd be happy to deliver, but if you'd rather just get into the Makoto/Rin, I'll just skip over Rei/Nagisa/Nitori adventures..._for now._..

I DUNNO, FOOD FOR THOUGHT. As always, please review! Y'all keep me going with your kind words :) See ya next chapter!


	8. Spring Break Interlude

It was the first day of spring break, and Nagisa was bored.

He was stuck in his stupid dorm room, alone, since his roommate had gone home for spring break, doing a math packet and blaring Lady Gaga. He would have gone home for spring break, if it wasn't for the fact that his professors decided to pile on a bunch of homework. He knew if he went home, he would not get _anything_ done.

There was also the fact that Rei had mentioned staying on campus, along with Nitori, since they also had some projects to finish over spring break, so that was a bonus.

He had also heard, from whispers throughout the dorm, that there would be some "crazy" parties happening around campus, and he was determined to get him, Rei, and Nitori to at least ONE of them, so they could get Rei super drunk and have him spill all his darkest secrets.

Nagisa groaned, pulling out his cellphone and calling up Nitori.

"H-Hello?" Nitori answered, hushed and quiet.

"Ai-chaaaan," Nagisa whined, "What are you doing?"

"Rei-san and I are working on our projects in the library," he hissed into his phone, and Nagisa brightened.

"Which one? I'm coming over right now! It beats sitting in this stuffy dorm room all spring break."

-xxx-

Nagisa made his way to the Undergrad Library where Rei and Nitori were currently working on their projects, sitting across from each other, books piled up in between them. Rei was jotting down notes in his notebook, and Nitori was underlining passages in his textbook with his tongue poking out.

"Heyya, dorks!" Nagisa greeted cheerfully, pulling out the seat next to Rei and sitting down.

"Hi, Nagisa-san!" Nitori greeted, and Rei mumbled something that sounded like 'Nagisa-kun' but he was far too engrossed in his notes.

"So, I had this plan," Nagisa began, and Nitori's smile fell to a slightly terrified look and Rei slowly turned his head to look at the blond with a stern gaze. "During spring break, I've been hearing that there's gonna be some like, crazy parties around campus. We should totally go to one."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Nagisa," Nitori sighed, looking back at his textbook, "We're all swamped with homework over break."

"C'moooon, Ai-chan!" Nagisa whined, giving Nitori a pout, "We have to get Rei-chan super drunk so he'll spill all of his darkest secrets!" Rei tsked.

"That's a horrible plan," Rei said, a frustrated tinge in his voice, "We're not even old enough to drink."

"God you're a weenie, Rei-chan," Nagisa huffed, "You're both weenies. You two are the biggest weenies I've ever met in my life."

"Get your homework out and start working, Nagisa-kun." Rei ordered, turning back towards his notebook to take more notes.

-xxx

It was the second day of spring break, and Nagisa was _bored._

Dancing around your now empty dorm room in your underwear and socks blaring Babymetal was only fun for a short period of time. He had given up on dancing and was now lounging in his bed, scrolling through the internet in his underwear. Then came a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" he called.

"It's Rei," came the voice from outside the door, and Nagisa called for him to come in. When he entered, he flushed and covered his eyes. "N-Nagisa-kun! I'm sorry, I-I didn't realize…!"

"Whaaaat, Rei-chan, never seen a man in his underwear before?" Nagisa teased, closing his laptop and turning his attention to Rei, who was still covering his eyes.

"Why did you even let me in your room if you're still in your underwear, anyway?!" Rei cried in embarrassment, still hiding his face in his hands. Nagisa laughed.

"Oh c'mon, it's not that big a deal! I'm even wearing cute underwear today! They got little penguins on them!" Nagisa smirked as Rei peeked through his fingers, "Or did you want me to take them off, Rei-chan~?" he cooed, turning over onto his back and hooking his thumbs onto the sides, lifting his hips off the bed and teasingly tugging them down slightly to expose his hip bones. Rei shrieked in horror, covering his eyes and turning around, making Nagisa howl with laughter.

"Get dressed this instant! W-We're meeting Nitori at the library and we're working on homework today!"

"God, _weenies_! I'm surrounded by weenies!" Nagisa whined, pouting as he rolled off his bed, "I wish Rin-chan or Haru-chan were home, they would probably go to parties with me."

-xxx-

"Rei-chan, did I do this right?" Nagisa asked, pushing his math packet towards the blue-haired boy. Rei huffed, finishing his sentence before turning his attention to the math packet. He looked over Nagisa's sloppy handwriting and nodded.

"Yes, it's correct." He replied, and Nagisa cheered, leaning over the table to give Nitori a high-five.

"Wow, Nagisa-san, you've gotten a lot better at math!" Nitori complimented, and Nagisa puffed out his chest proudly.

"A little work goes a long way!" he boasted, and Rei gave him a frustrated look, reaching over to pinch his ear and tug on it angrily.

"Are you _sure_ it's not due to the fact that I spent almost _all_ of my spare time _tutoring_ you that you've become better at math, _Nagisa-kun_?" he asked darkly.

"Owowowow okay _okay_, it was all you, Rei-chan! You're an amazing tutor and you're the reason I'm getting so much better at math! _Please_ let go of my poor ear!" Rei let out a 'humph' before letting Nagisa go, turning his attention back to his notes.

"That's what I thought."

"You two sure are lively," Nitori chuckled, looking back down to his book to highlight another sentence, then he muttered to himself, "Wonder when you two are gonna do it."

"What was that, Ai-chan?" Nagisa asked, and Nitori snickered.

"Ah, it's nothing at all, Nagisa-san."

-xxx-

It was the third day of spring break, and Makoto and Haru had returned from Iwatobi. Nagisa pounced on the opportunity.

"Mako-chan, Haru-chan, I had this plan," Nagisa began as soon as he entered their apartment, and Makoto paled while Haru regarded him with a wary look. "I want to go to a party tonight. I'm gonna get Rei-chan and Ai-chan to go, too. So come with us, pleeeeease?"

"I would go, but I have work in the morning, and I have to unpack." Makoto replied, giving Nagisa a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, Nagisa. Maybe next time."

"I'll go," Haru offered with a shrug, and Nagisa cheered.

"Yay, Haru-chan! We're gonna have so much fun!"

"Makoto?" Haru asked, looking at Makoto, and Nagisa was silent as they did their weird telepathic talking, and suddenly Makoto was flushing.

"Y-Yeah, I think we have some. In the bathroom." Makoto mumbled, rubbing his arm awkwardly. "Did you want me to spend the night somewhere else?" Haru shook his head, and Nagisa was confused, but decided to ignore their fragmented conversation.

"I'm gonna go talk to Rei-chan and Ai-chan! Wear something cute, Haru-chan!"

-xxx-

The party Nagisa heard about was being held off campus, at the apartment of someone named Mikoshiba. Nitori had recognized the name, saying he went to high school with someone with the same last name. It was pretty far, but when they got there, Nagisa deemed there was enough alcohol, Nitori recognized the host of the party so they all were able to get in, Rei was thoroughly out of his element and Haru had wandered away to do whatever Haru did. While Nitori was catching up with Mikoshiba, Nagisa force fed Rei a couple Jell-O shots to help him loosen up and then forced him onto the dance floor.

"Jell-O shots are pretty good," Rei slurred into his ear, grabbing another one off the table before they went to dance, "I like blue Jell-O the best."

"Is that so?" Nagisa laughed, downing more of the spiked punch from his red cup, "This Mikoshiba guy went all out. We should come here next time he has a party!"

"I should be working on my project," Rei shouted around a mouthful of Jell-O, "I'm supposed to be making a bridge out of popsicle sticks for physics."

"Oh, Rei-chan, we still have a whole four or five days left of spring break! One little party interlude won't kill you!" Nagisa smiled before chugging the rest of his drink and throwing the cup elsewhere, "Now _dance_ with me, Rei-chan!"

"I dunno how to," Rei giggled, and Nagisa rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, it's not that hard! I'll teach you!" Nagisa turned around and took Rei's hand and placed them on his hips, urging Rei's hips to move in time with him, and the music. "See, it's not bad at all!" Nagisa shouted over the music. One of Rei's hands left his hips and pointed.

"Izzat Haruka-senpai?" Rei yelled into his ear, and Nagisa followed his finger to see Haru leaning against the wall, whispering into the ear of a cute brunette girl with her hair pulled into a bun, who was blushing and giggling while running her hand along Haru's side, while the other twisted a loose piece of hair in her finger. Nagisa whooped.

"Hell yeah, get some, Haru-chan!"

"You smell good," Rei suddenly muttered against the shell of Nagisa's ear, and he shuddered.

"Oh?"

"'N you're always so pretty, Nagisa-kun," Rei breathed, then he paused, giggling, "'M _so_ drunk." Nagisa turned around and wrapped his arms around Rei's neck, smirking at the taller boy.

"I think I like drunk Rei-chan," he said, and Rei giggled again.

"Your eyes are so pretty," Rei mumbled, his own eyes darkening to a burning violet, and Nagisa swallowed, then Rei was laughing again, "Wow, I am so _drunk,_ Nagisa."

"Jell-O shots are deceptive, Rei-chan," Nagisa replied, "They taste so good, but they're like, filled with alcohol."

"I had like five million of those," Rei pouted, "Am…Am I gonna be drunk forever?" he asked in a deadpan, Nagisa laughed.

"Oh my god, Rei-chan, you're so _cute_!" he cooed, "No, you will not be drunk forever."

"Hey, 'member-" Rei hiccupped, "Remember…yesterday, when…When you were in your underwear?" Nagisa nodded, and Rei smirked, "I wanted…I kinda wanted you to take 'em off. But like. Only a lil bit. Maybe a lot. I think about you sucking my dick a lot."

"Oh my god, did you just say dick?" Nagisa muttered, then whimpered when Rei leaned in to nip at his earlobe.

"I wanted to- I wanted to jus'…Jus' rip 'em off. Wanted to bite your hips…" Nagisa bit back a moan, and yeah, he was _totally_ into drunk Rei. Well, to be fair, he was into sober Rei too, but the fact that drunk Rei was finally attempting to start something made him much more appealing. "Hey…we can just leave, can't we? We can go back to your dorm. Cuz really, I just want to spend all night kissing you." Nagisa gasped as Rei's mouth pressed against his neck.

"_God_, Rei-chan," he moaned, then looked back to where Haru was earlier, only to discover he had disappeared with that brunette girl, and he glanced around to find Nitori, who was still chatting with Mikoshiba. Nagisa bit his lip, then grabbed another Jell-O shot, gulping it all down in one go, then grabbed Rei's wrist. "C'mon." he led the taller boy over to Nitori, who gave Nagisa a knowing smirk.

"Leaving so soon?" he teased, taking another sip of beer, and Nagisa smirked back at him.

"Hell yeah I am. We'll see you tomorrow at the library." Nitori nodded, waving them both off before turning his attention back to Mikoshiba, who wished them a safe trip home.

-xxx-

Makoto was having a nice evening in by himself, catching up on some of his shows, and even curling up with Kabocha and watching a movie he had been meaning to watch for a while, chipping his way through a pint of ice cream he had bought at the store, texting Rin all the while. His movie was just finishing up when he heard keys in the door, and Haru swung open the door, toting a giggling brunette with him.

"Makoto," he said, "This is…Chimura."

"_Hanamura_!" she laughed, "Hanamura Chigusa! I told you like, six times already!"

"Nice to meet you, Hanamura-san," Makoto greeted politely, giving her a small smile. "I was just getting ready to get to bed. You two enjoy your evening."

"Byeeee, cutie!" Hanamura giggled some more as Haru led her to his room, slamming the door behind him.

"C'mon, Kabocha," he muttered, frowning lightly as he stood from the couch, holding Kabocha in his arms, "I'm gonna need my headphones."

-xxx-

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

_Haru brought home a cute brunette girl named Hanamura u_u Looks like I'll be blaring some music for the night. Have any music recommendations?_

_To: Makoto_

…_Haru is straight? O_O?_

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

…_Yeah? He's liked girls ever since he found out they get…wet…when…aroused. (/□__＼__*) It doesn't help that he's apparently really good at sex, too. So, music recommendations? Please?_

_To: Makoto_

_I'm pretty into Babymetal right now. It's loud metal music, so it should probably drown them out.  
…HARU IS STRAIGHT? _ಠ___ಠ

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

_Perfect. And yes, Haru is straight! Why, were you interested in him? o:_

_To: Makoto_

_Oh god, no. He is definitely not my type, plus, I like someone else. …Wait, the person he brought home was Hanamura? That's my little sister's best friend!_

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

_OoO REALLY?! That's…odd. You like someone?_

_To: Makoto_

_Yes_

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

_Who is it? OvO?_

_To: Makoto_

_I'm not telling (__◡‿◡✿__)_

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

_Aww, you're no fun :c But I think I have an idea of who it is ;)_

_To: Makoto_

_Oh do you now? Who do you think it is?_

_To: Super Hot Sexy Rin_

_I'm not telling (__◡‿◡✿__) Well, I'm pretty sleepy, so I guess I'm gonna get to bed now. Got work in the morning! I'll talk to you later, Rin (:_

_To: Makoto_

_Ahh, you're no fun :p Sleep tight, and good luck at work tomorrow. Talk to you later (:_

-xxx-

It was the fourth day of spring break, and Nagisa was certainly not bored anymore.

"Your phone's going off," Rei muttered into his collarbone, and Nagisa giggled, tugging at Rei's hair.

"I don't care, I'll take care of it later," he mumbled, kissing Rei's forehead, "I just wanna stay here with you until we have to go study."

"Mmm," Rei sighed, running his hands up Nagisa's back, "Fine by me."

* * *

BAM, I DID THE REI/NAGISA/NITORI INTERLUDE. Can we just talk about this for a minute?

So I started this chapter like "Ehhh" then the next thing I knew, I had typed out nearly six pages. LIKE, WHAT THE FRIG. I apparently really wanted to do this. I think it's cuz part of me has been REEEEEEEEEEALLLYYYYYY DESPERATELY WANTING to write a Reigisa, but I could just never think of a plot D: So this was kind of like a little gift to myself.

ALSO, CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HARU FOR A MINUTE? One night when I was laying in bed, thinkin' about Free, I just said to myself, "What if Haru actually ends up being straight because he finds out that girls get wet when they get turned on?" THEN I LAUGHED FOR LIKE TWELVE MILLION YEARS, BECAUSE LIKE, C'MON, THAT COULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN. And since this is an AU, and I can basically do whatever I want, I was like "DAMN, I want Haru to have a one night stand with some girl and then have Makoto explain to someone why Haru is straight because this is hilarious." So poor Chigusa ended up being the girl Haru has a one night stand with.

ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT RIN AND MAKOTO? Like. Typing that texting scene was a near-death experience for me. They are both dumb and I hate them. DON'T WORRY, next chapter will get back on track in term of MakoRin. I WANT THEM TO KISS SOON AND I KNOW YOU GUYS WANT THE SAME, SO DON'T WORRRYYYYY IT'S COMINGGGG I PROMISE. :D

As always, please review! You are all the sweetest, and your interest is what keeps this baby going! :)


	9. Chapter 8

Spring break had been nice, quiet, peaceful, and relaxing.

Staying at home with his mom and little sister watching horrible soap operas and eating junk food and trying to get his mom and little sister to stop putting ribbons and clips in his hair was a perfect way to wind down after the stressful week that had been midterms.

Texting Makoto the whole time hadn't been too bad, either. Actually, it was amazing. Rin was fairly certain the entire time they texted was just one big flirting battle. It was embarrassing, especially with his mother and Gou teasing him mercilessly as they put his hair in pigtails.

Ichigo seemed to be enjoying her spring break as well, spending most of her days laying in the sun and snoozing away, her swollen belly hanging low when she waddled around the house.

On the last day, Rin laid in his bed and spooned with Ichigo, not wanting to leave his house and go back to school. The only thing he was looking forward to was seeing Makoto again (and the others…but not as much as Makoto).

"Breakfast is ready!" Gou called as she waltzed into his room, and Rin groaned, nuzzling his face into Ichigo's fur, feeling her purr reverberate against him.

"I don't wanna go back," he mumbled, and Gou chuckled.

"I knooow," she replied, trotting over to his bed and sitting down. "But today I'm getting dropped off first. And you get to meet Seijuurou."

"Ah, yeah," Rin yawned, "And if I go back, I get to see Makoto again."

"And how is our dear _Mako-chan_ this morning?" Gou teased, squeaking when Rin kicked her in the back.

"I dunno, he hasn't texted me yet." Rin let out a yawn before sitting up "Let's go eat."

-xxx-

Seijuurou was…happy.

…Almost _too_ happy.

Rin was highly suspicious of him.

"Hey, Rin, I've heard a lot about you from Gou-chan!" Seijuurou held out his hand for a handshake with a giant grin on his face, "It's really nice to finally meet you!"

"Yeah," Rin said, taking his hand and tugging Seijuurou close with a death glare, "Look. You fuck with my little sister? You're toast. Dead. Gone. Forever. I promise you, if you hurt her, in _any_ way, it will be the last thing you ever do." Seijuurou stared at him with wide eyes before bursting out laughing. He smacked Rin's back with his free hand.

"You're alright, Matsuoka! Don't worry about a thing, I'll take great care of Gou-chan!"

"Isn't he sweet, Rin-chan?" his mother giggled behind him, "Thank you for helping us with Gou-chan's bags, Mikoshiba-kun."

"It's no problem at all, Mrs. Matsuoka!" Seijuurou replied brightly, and Gou nudged Rin.

"Eh? Ehhh? He's not so bad, right?"

"Why the hell is he so _happy_?" Rin groaned, frowning as he watched the red-haired boy interact with his mother, "He's exhausting to watch. Did he kill someone?"

"No! ...Well, at least, not that I know of." Gou giggled as Rin jabbed her with his elbow.

"Alright, alright. It was good to see you over break, squirt." Rin said, giving his little sister a fond smile. Gou smiled back, moving in for a hug.

"I'll see you after finals. Tell me if anything happens with Makoto, alright?" she squeezed him tightly, "I expect daily updates! Or weekly at least!"

"Yeah yeah," Rin ruffled her hair affectionately, "You'll be the first person I call if anything happens, okay?"

"Perfect! Bye onii-chan! Good luck with school!" she trotted over to her mother to give her a hug and kiss goodbye.

"Same to you!" Rin called as he got back into the car, glancing at his phone to find one new message. He opened it, and inside was a picture of Kabocha sitting on the couch, his tail curled around his front paws as he gave the camera an unimpressed look. Under the picture, Makoto had wrote, "_Good morning! (/^_^)/"_ and Rin hid his face behind his hands. Makoto was just _too fucking cute_.

-xxx-

"When are you two gonna do it?" Haru asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow at Makoto as he took a sip of water.

"I don't know, Haru, when are you and Hanamura-san gonna _stop_ doing it?" Makoto retaliated, smirking when Haru choked on his water.

"Don't worry about it, Makoto-san!" Hanamura piped up from the doorway, smiling with flushed cheeks, "Spring break is over today at my university, and Haruka and I are callin' it quits today. Sorry for disturbing you!" she bowed politely, and Makoto returned it, feeling a little guilty for calling her out. She straightened up and winked at Haru, "Thanks for the good times this break, Haru-chan. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Yeah," Haru shrugged noncommittally, walking the brunette to the door. When she left, Haru came back to the kitchen, "Thought she'd never leave. But seriously, when are you and Rin gonna do it? You two are disgusting."

"I really don't know, Haru," Makoto replied quietly, "I mean, he was flirting that entire time we texted, right? I'm so confused, I haven't liked anyone in a long time, what if he's just being nice?!"

"Makoto." Haru said firmly, then placed his hands on Makoto's shoulders, "Rin likes you. I've seen it. I knew from the moment I met the bastard."

"Y-You did?" Makoto asked, flushing hotly, "I-I don't know. Maybe I'll talk to him when he gets back. Maybe I should just wait until Ichigo gives birth. Or should I do it before then? I don't know!"

"You're hopeless," Haru muttered, finishing his water and putting his glass in the sink, "I gotta go work on some paintings. I'll be in my room if you need me." And with that, Haru left the kitchen, leaving Makoto stumbling over his own thoughts.

What if Haru was right and Rin really did like him? It would be the perfect scenario, since Makoto wanted nothing more than to just kiss Rin all the time, every day. But what if Rin didn't return his feelings? What if he liked someone else and Makoto had read him all wrong? Makoto groaned and collapsed onto the couch, his phone brightly chiming that he had a new message.

"_I'm home! Come over and make me some food?_ _(_๑_ᴗ_๑_)?"_

Makoto smiled, typing out a "be right over" before standing up and getting ready.

-xxx-

"About time you showed up, Tachibana!" Rin exclaimed as he opened his door with a grin, "I'm hungry. And Ichigo needs a checkup!" Makoto laughed as he entered Rin's apartment, Ichigo waddling her way over to sniff curiously.

"Ah, wow, she's so big now!" Makoto knelt down on the ground, letting Ichigo sniff at him while he observed her. "She's probably gonna give birth any day now!"

"Really?" Rin asked, "Wow. I guess I better prepare for the…delivery, huh?"

"Oh, yeah!" Makoto set his backpack he had brought with him on the ground, unzipping it and pulling out a bunch of stuff. "I brought some of the stuff we used to use for Snowball's births. All cleaned up, of course."

"Uh huh…" Rin observed the various instruments Makoto procured, picking up what seemed to be a little pump, "What's this thing?"

"Oh, that's kind of like an air pump. Sometimes when kittens are born, they aren't breathing, so when they don't breathe, you use that to encourage air flow and help them out." Makoto explained, and suddenly he frowned, "We've, uh. We've lost a couple kittens because they didn't start breathing, when Snowball first started having them." Rin's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "B-But don't worry! After that, we got really good at it and never lost a single one!" Makoto reassured him, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I trust you, then, to take good care of Ichigo's kittens." Rin replied, giving Makoto a soft smile. Makoto flushed hotly and returned his smile.

"Y…Yeah. I'll do my best!"

"Good! Now, can you make me something to eat? I'm starving!" Rin whined, and Makoto laughed and shook his head.

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can whip up." Rin cheered, following the taller boy to the kitchen.

"You literally have no food."

"Hah? Oh, yeah, I _was_ out of town for a whole week…So I cleared out the fridge…"

"Are you serious? Well, c'mon, we'll just go out to eat. My treat!"

"For real? You're the best, Makoto! I'll treat you next time we go out."

"Okay, okay. Where do you wanna go?"

"I really want ramen…"

"Ramen it is then."

The two left the apartment, leaving Ichigo to bat at the little pump Rin held earlier.

* * *

Ehhhhh this could have been a lot better...

But recently there was a death and it was really weird and traumatic for the family, and I didn't even know how to react or anything like that and it's still hard to wrap my head around it...I mean, I was sad about it, and it's still sad, but? I'm not sure...Like I said, it's weird.

So needless to say it was kinda hard to get going into this chapter. BUT, IF everything goes according to plan, I think this story will be coming to an end soon! Which is simultaneously REALLY COOL and REALLY SAD. :'C

So uhhh, yeah. I guess that's all! As always, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I love your comments and praise :)


	10. Chapter 9

The day had started off odd.

Ichigo seemed strangely attentive, Rin waking up to find her sitting on his chest and staring at him with a slightly startled and disgruntled gaze. It had freaked him out, of course, and it freaked him out when she started licking her butthole right in his face. Ichigo ignored her breakfast in favor of staring at him while he ate, pausing in her staring to shiver and mewl at him quietly, lick at her stomach and butthole, shake her fur out, then go right back to staring.

"Ichigo, you're fuckin' weird," Rin muttered, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm going to class now. Be back later."

He opened the door and Ichigo let out a surprisingly loud meow, louder than most of her other quiet mewls she usually crooned. Rin looked at her, and she huffed a breath of air from her nose, then licked her butthole _again_.

"Ichigo, I really don't want to stand here and watch you lick your asshole all day, I have to get to class." Rin growled, then after licking herself again, she meowed and hurriedly trotted down the hall in the direction of Rin's bedroom. "Fuckin' idiot," he huffed, then left the apartment.

-xxx-

"What does it mean if your cat looks you dead in your eye and then licks its asshole?"

Haru gave Rin a disgusted look, shifting slightly as the other sat down next to him, looking towards the front of the lecture hall.

"I don't know. Ask Makoto."

"Fine, I will, little miss sunshine," Rin snorted, pulling out his cellphone to text the same question to Makoto.

"When are you going to ask him out?" Haru asked, and Rin nearly choked on his own spit.

"Wh-What?" he stuttered, and Haru gave him an unimpressed look.

"Don't act dumb, Rin. You and Makoto have been wanting to bone each other since day one. When are you going to ask him out?"

"I…I don't know," Rin snarled, fidgeting in his seat, "I wanted to wait until after the kittens were born…Shut up, okay?! I'm not really good at asking people out!"

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out," Haru muttered, and Rin smacked him with his notebook.

-xxx-

When Rin got home, he heard a frightfully loud yowl from his bedroom. He dropped his backpack and made a mad dash for his room, finding Ichigo curled up in the corner of his room, licking persistently at her belly and rear end.

"Oh god, Ichigo, are you? Are you doing the thing? _Right now_?!" Ichigo yowled again, licking at herself more forcefully. He pulled out his cellphone, quickly dialing Makoto's number.

"Rin, I was just about to text you!" Makoto answered, and Rin let out a choked, garbled noise that vaguely sounded like the word _'fuck'_, "What? What's wrong?"

"The _thing_!" he screeched, "Ichigo! Sh-She's! Doing the thing! Birth! Kittens! _Right now! Makoto! Babies! They're coming!_"

"I'm coming over right now! Put her under an unwanted towel, and stay calm!" Makoto replied sternly, and Rin made another choked, keening noise, throwing his phone on his bed and rushing to the bathroom to grab a towel.

Rin was making all kinds of incoherent and panicked noises as he grabbed a towel and a hand towel, as well as rubbing alcohol and a box of band aids, but upon realizing what he grabbed, he chucked the box into the bathtub with an angry shout, rushing back to the bedroom where Ichigo was breathing quickly and observing Rin with wide eyes and dilated pupils. He gently urged his cat under the raggedy old towel he kept in the back of his cabinet, and she obeyed, but not before she bit and clawed at him. Maybe he should have brought those band aids…

There was a frantic knock at the front door, and Rin let out a squeak, dashing to the front and opening the door, Makoto giving him a determined smile.

"Are you ready, Rin?" he asked, and Rin let out another panicked noise, pushing Makoto and his bag full of cat medical supplies towards his bedroom.

"_Go go go!" _Rin urged, and Makoto shushed him, quietly closing the door behind Rin when they reached his room.

"Be quiet, Rin," he urged, "Everything needs to be peaceful and calm for this. It's going to be alright. Okay?" Makoto reached over to take Rin's hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. Rin blushed lightly, looking into Makoto's eyes and nodding absentmindedly.

And in that moment, Rin decided, with Makoto holding his hand and giving him that gentle look that told him everything would be okay, that it would be a perfect time to just kiss Makoto, like he had been dreaming about for weeks. He reached up, gently taking Makoto's face in his hands, leaned forward, and pressed their lips together.

It felt like whole world slowly came to a stop. He could hear Makoto let out a breath through his nose, his own heart beat in his ears, he could feel Makoto's cheeks burning, feel the bunch of nerves that jumped from his stomach to his throat. And it was _perfect_. Sure, Rin's lips were chapped, and he was certain one of his teeth poked into Makoto's bottom lip at some point, but Rin was feeling so many things at once, and he was just so _happy_, like he was an overfilled balloon ready to pop, and he pulled away, eyes slowly flickering open to see Makoto staring at him slightly slack jawed.

"…Um," Makoto finally said, only to be interrupted by Ichigo letting out a high pitched yowl, "We'll talk about that in a minute. Ichigo comes first."

"Of course," Rin said, a little too excited, and they both rushed over to the cat, who was frantically licking her abdomen, and Makoto set down his bag of supplies.

-xxx-

It was about twenty minutes before the first kitten came. Makoto and Rin were kneeling on the floor a little ways away, Makoto saying that really they shouldn't interfere with the birth unless they were really needed, and when the first kitten came, Rin almost fainted.

Makoto watched with attentiveness as Ichigo brought the jet black blob to her mouth, licking its face clean. He heard a little mewl and relaxed, and made sure Ichigo bit off the baby's umbilical cord.

"Oh my god," Rin muttered next to him, "I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh no you're not," Makoto teased, "Don't you think it's amazing? We're witnessing the miracle of birth!"

"It was covered in shit and Ichigo just licked it," Rin shuddered, "She just licked it like it was nothing. That's fucking disgusting." Makoto rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Ichigo, who had dutifully guided her newest addition to start feeding. "…But," Makoto looked back at Rin, who was watching the cats with a sparkle in his eye, "It really is amazing."

Another kitten came about ten minutes later, white with brown spots, and Makoto only reached over to tie off and snip the umbilical cord that Ichigo had missed. Ichigo rewarded Makoto with a grateful lick to his hand, then went back to grooming her kittens.

While they waited for the next kitten, Rin had grabbed a bowl of water and set it next to Ichigo, who was purring gently as her two new babies nursed. Rin smiled affectionately, scratching behind Ichigo's ears.

The next kitten was white with black spots. It was a noisy kitten, too, mewling as soon as Ichigo licked its mouth clean. She nibbled of the umbilical cord, and the little newborn squeaked loudly, Ichigo giving off her own comforting trill, nudging the little one to her belly to begin nursing.

Makoto was pleased with how things were going so far, and he was especially pleased with the fact that Rin had decided to hold his hand as they observed Ichigo and her newborns. Rin's hand was a little sweaty, and Rin was chewing at the fingernails on his free hand, and when Rin inhaled a little breath, he looked back at the cats, noticing Ichigo giving birth to her fourth kitten, another black one, and took care of it just as well as she did the other ones.

"Do all cat births go this smoothly?" Rin asked, and Makoto nodded.

"Typically, yes. I'm actually really happy we haven't had to intervene much!" Makoto replied happily, and Rin flushed, looking back to the cats.

"I really don't get it," Rin mumbled, and Makoto gave him a questioning look.

"Don't get what?"

"How the _fuck_ are you so _cute_? Is it even _possible_ for one human being to be as cute as you are? I mean, _fuck_, Makoto, just…How? _Why_?!" Rin blurted, his face significantly redder than it was before. Makoto was sure he was redder than Rin was, and he turned away and covered his face with his hands.

"S-Sorry!" he cried out, just as Rin sputtered out an apology as well.

"N-No, don't be! I'm just…I'm just being stupid, I-I kinda ramble when I'm nervous a-and I really didn't mean it like it was a bad thing! I-I mean, um, _fuck_, just, I'm gonna shut up now." Makoto laughed nervously at Rin's ramblings.

"Please do." He chuckled, and Rin hid his face behind his hand with an 'oh god'.

-xxx-

A little while after Rin's outburst, Ichigo gave birth to the fifth kitten. It was a tiny little thing, white with black and brown spots, and Ichigo diligently licked its face clean, and nibbled away its umbilical cord. Makoto's brow furrowed as he noticed the kitten's mouth was moving like it was trying to squeak out its first mews, but nothing was coming out. Ichigo let out her own concerned trill.

"Is it okay?" Rin asked quietly, and Makoto carefully picked it up, Ichigo following him with another trill. Makoto brought it to his ear, listening carefully.

"I don't think its breathing."

* * *

...CLIFFHANGER, DUN DUN DAAHHHH

oh but look makoto and rin finally kissed eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT TIME? WHO KNOWS?! (only me I know what will happen but I don't wanna spoil anything buahahaha)

SO I GUESS AT THIS POINT I WILL SAY thanks for reading and please review as per usual! :) You are all lovely little puddin' pies and all of your reviews make me so happy! (/^_^)/


End file.
